Electric continuous-flow heaters
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric instantaneous water heaters face inefficiencies in cooling electronic circuit elements, such as triacs or thyristors, which can lead to reduced performance and reliability due to inadequate heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
A flow heater design featuring a cooling tube with flattened sections that are strategically placed on the electronic power switching elements and secured by a clamp, ensuring effective heat transfer and improved cooling capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional cooling tube is used to cool electronic power switching elements, then the cooling structure is simple, but the cooling efficiency is insufficient due to poor thermal contact
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling tube incorporates flattened sections at specific locations where electronic power switching elements are mounted. These localized flattened areas increase the surface area in direct contact with the heat-generating components, improving thermal coupling precisely where needed without complicating the entire cooling tube structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling tube transitions from a purely cylindrical geometry to a composite geometry incorporating flattened sections. This dimensional modification allows the cooling tube to conform to the mounting surfaces of electronic components, creating multiple contact points and enhancing thermal contact area without requiring a completely different cooling structure.
2Reliability
If the cooling tube is tightly secured to electronic components, then heat transfer is improved, but the risk of damaging electronic components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp applies pressure selectively at the flattened sections of the cooling tube that contact the electronic components. This localized clamping ensures adequate contact pressure for heat transfer while distributing the force over specific areas rather than applying uniform pressure that could damage sensitive components.
Solution Approach 2:
The flattened sections modify the mechanical properties of the cooling tube at contact points, creating a more compliant interface that can accommodate component tolerances and reduce peak stresses. This geometric parameter change allows the tube to maintain good thermal contact without exerting excessive damaging forces on the electronic components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances the cooling efficiency of electronic power switching elements, leading to improved performance and reliability of the instantaneous water heater by ensuring effective heat dissipation and increased cooling capacity.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling tube (100) for cooling the electronic power switching element (300)... the cooling tube with its flattened section (110) rests on the power electronic switching element (300) so that an effective cooling is provided
Data Source
AI summary
An electric instantaneous water heater incorporates multiple power electronic switching elements for controlling the heater's heating elements. A cooling tube is also included, through which cold water flows during operation, thus cooling most of the power electronic switching elements. The power electronic switching elements are mounted flat or horizontally on a circuit board, with the cooling tube positioned on top of these elements.